A.C.T.O.R (A Continuing Talk on Race 8.4.19- ABOLISH I.C.E.
Date and Time
Aug 4, 2019 5:00 pm
Location
14th & V
2021 14th St NW, Washington, District of Columbia, 20009
Aug 4, 2019 5:00 pm
14th & V
The A.C.T.O.R. (A Continuing Talk on Race) open discussion series is hosted by Busboys and Poets as a community service. It provides the opportunity for people to come together and speak openly and honestly about issues of race. The intent is that each person walks away from the discussion feeling something: challenged, educated, uncomfortable, enlightened, refreshed, reassured and hopefully inspired and moved to action! Each month there is a new topic for discussion.
This Month's Topic: ABOLISH I.C.E.
Join us for a timely and important conversation about Immigrant rights and advocacy. What conversations should anti-racists be having in these unusual times regarding our friends, families, and colleagues who are disproportionately affected by ICE Raids and Trump's racist campaign which targets people of color particularly? What can we do to be allies?
What rights do immigrants and allies have regarding being detained? How can we address these atrocities on the ground as well as governmentally? How can we be better allies and accomplices to dismantling this corrupt campaign? These are a few of the questions we would like to address.
Featuring:
Natalia Alvarez Diaz is an organizer with Sanctuary DMV, an all-volunteer group standing in solidarity with immigrants and marginalized communities in the DMV area (DC, Maryland, and Virginia). Sanctuary DMV resists policies and policy proposals that target and aim to deport millions of undocumented immigrants and discriminate against Black, Indigenous, Muslim, Latinx, and LGBTQ+ people.
Originally from Mexico City, Natalia has lived in Washington DC for five years, where works for a research and technology firm on issues related to higher education access and student success. Natalia earned a B.A. in Politics with a minor in History from Mount Holyoke College in 2013. She is an avid reader and aspiring dog-mom.
Kathryn M. Doan, Esq., has served as the executive director of the Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights (CAIR) Coalition since 2008. The mission of CAIR Coalition is to ensure equal access to justice for immigrant adults and children threatened with detention and deportation in the Washington region and beyond. Each year CAIR Coalition provides over 4000 detained men, women and children with legal assistance ranging from Know Your Rights presentations and individual consultations to full representation before the immigration court.CAIR Coalition also engages in impact litigation to improve the law for immigrants through appeals and class action lawsuits.
During Ms. Doan’s tenure as executive director, the organization has expanded from a staff of six to a staff of over 60 and added two new programs – The Detained Children’s Program and the Immigration Impact Lab. Prior to joining CAIR Coalition, she was the Deputy Director of the Central American Resource Center (CARECEN) in Washington, DC, where she also managed the agency’s Immigration Legal Services and Community Support Services programs.
At the 2015 D.C. Judicial and Bar Conference, Ms. Doan was named the recipient of the D.C. Bar Foundation’s Jerrold Scoutt Prize. The Prize is awarded annually to an attorney “who has worked for a significant portion of his or her career at a non-profit organization providing direct hands-on legal services to the needy in the District of Columbia; has demonstrated compassionate concern for his or her clients; and has exhibited a high degree of skill on their behalf.” A native of New York, Ms. Doan graduated from Cornell University and Catholic University’s Columbus School of Law.
Pages Matam is an international artist & educator from Cameroon, Central Africa, currently residing in Washington D.C. He is the Director of Poetry Events for Busboys and Poets, a Callaloo Fellow, and Write Bloody published author of The Heart of a Comet (2014), which won Best New Book 2014 from Beltway Poetry Quarterly and was a Teaching for Change bestseller. A national and 2x regional poetry slam champion, he has passions in the field of education, violence, and abuse trauma work, immigration reform and youth advocacy. He has been a featured artist and performer on Upworthy, Huffington, Okay Africa, Macy’s, The Pentagon, the Kennedy Center, the Apollo Theater, BET Lyric Cafe, TV One’s Verses & Flow (Season 4 & 5), The Smithsonian Folklife Festival and the Smithsonian African Art Festival. He has performed across the world in Canada, Brazil, Costa Rica, France, Sweden, UAE. He is a proud gummy bear elitist, bowtie enthusiast, professional hugger, and anime fanatic.
Free and open to all.
A.C.T.O.R. is held on the first Sunday of every month at Busboys and Poets 14th & V from 5:00 PM-7:00 pm.
